will (he permits it, but it was not his intention). However, a closer look at the Israelites’ request as well as God’s response brings this preliminary conclusion into question. In their initial request to Samuel the people request a king “such as all the other nations have” (1 Sam. 8:5). This is expanded later in the scene as they cry: “We want a king over us. Then we will be like all the other nations, with a king to lead us and to go out before us and fight our battles” (1 Sam. 8:19–20). The circumstances